The Pittsburgh Institute or Aeronautics (PIA) School for Aviation Maintenance in Youngstown is hosting a public aviation career exploration event on Saturday, Nov. 4, to give students a chance to see what aviation mechanics is all about.

The event will be held at its Youngstown campus at 1453 Youngstown-Kingsville Rd. and will connect students with aviation maintenance employers, attendees will tour the campus classrooms and hangar, learn about the 16-month program, view interactive demonstrations, meet faculty and interact with current students.

"Many factors, including an aging aviation maintenance workforce and shortage of trained airframe and powerplant (A&P) technicians, have employers investing in recruiting serious candidates as early as pre-enrollment," said Suzanne Markle, President and CEO of PIA. "Hands-on learners who love creative problem-solving and pride themselves on high-quality work find that the aviation maintenance field offers an incredible opportunity to have a long and rewarding career."

According to PIA, with skilled aviation mechanics in very high demand due to a nationwide labor shortage, the latest employment rates for its Youngstown Campus graduates is 98% with the top employers for the region including PSA Airlines, GE Aerospace, Endeavor Air, Constant Aviation and Skywest Airlines.

The school adds starting salaries for these roles are also rising: PIA graduates now typically earn between $48,000 and $58,000 at their first industry jobs. The career median salary for 2023 has been reported to be $70,740 by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook.

According to Boeing's 2023-2042 Pilot and Technician Outlook, 125,000 new mechanics and avionics pros will need to join the field over the next 20 years to meet the growing needs of the aviation industry in the United States.

Many of these openings are due to upcoming retirements, as ATEC estimates 38% of current aviation mechanics are at least 60 years of age. If these retirees aren't replaced, airlines will be forced to reduce the number of flights they operate.

New data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics projects about 13,000 annual job openings for aviation maintenance and avionics positions over the next decade.

The school will teach students skills that could land them a job in a variety of industries, including the military, medical cargo and aerospace.